Roam in the Ivy League---漫步常青藤盟校（一）

During the 2004-2005 academic year, the author conducted research for a new book and spent approximately 30days at each Ivy League universities, sitting in on classes, speaking with students and participating in activities. In the compay of the author, let's roam in these idyllic campueses in northeast U.S.

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When you hear the phrase "Ivy League", what do you think of? It is a rare person who can name all eight Ivies, but it is a rarer person who does not have notions about them. The eight schools of the Ivy League - Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale- are among the most selective and academically rigorous institutions in the world. Each Ivy has its own history and personality, and each attracts brilliant and accomplished students from around the world.

notion n. 看法，观点

Cornell University ( founded in 1865)

Many students told me, "Cornell is the easiest Ivy to get into and the hardest to get out of". It's the easiest to get into because it accepts so many students- although it turns away approximately five students for every one it admits. It's the hardest to get out of because the course work is exceptionally rigorous.

Cornell sits on a hilltop overlooking Cayuga Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes of central New York State. Two sides of the campus are bound by gorges during the last 12,000 years. Creeks and waterfalls fill the gorges, and no matter where you are on campus you are never far from the sight and sound of falling water. This is an area of great natural beauty- a place that contributes to a healthy and pleasurable quality of life.

I arrived at Brown yesterday morning. It's a big shift from Cornell. Every destination on the campus is less that seven minutes away. Students here seem to study more passionately than those I met at Cornell. Brown is a place for people to explore their own interests. There are no university distribution requirements, so students are free to study whatever they want.

Since its move to the city of Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, in 1770, Brown University has grown even more amazing. Today, beautiful greens lie between vibrant city streets and 18th-century buildings are complemented by brand new laboratories. Most importantly, its people make it an amazing place to learn.